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Google Voice: The Future of Patient Communication by Alan A. Curtis, DDS, MS, Editorial Director

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Header: Google Voice: The Future of Patient Communication

As orthodontists, we deal with what often seems like a countless number of patients each day. Each patient comes with a different treatment plan and different concerns. How can we keep in contact with all these patients in a timely and orderly fashion, without disrupting workflow?

I have a certain set of rules. If you want to reach me with anything urgent or important, don't send me an email, don't call me during my busy day, and—heaven forbid—don't leave me a voicemail message!

If you're anything like me, you know what I'm talking about. It's just too time-consuming to take these calls in the middle of work, and listening to voicemails can be so tedious.

So my question to you is: Why are you still calling and emailing your patients to share important and timely information? Nowadays when we want to share information with our family and friends, we send them a text message. It's quick, easy and to the point. So what is keeping you from texting your patients?

I can think of two main reasons:
  • You don't want your patients to have your personal cell number.
  • You don't have an easy way to text patients in a professional, convenient way.
The power of Google
Luckily there is a simple solution and it's free! It's called Google Voice, and it's available to Google and Gmail account holders. If you don't have an account, you can sign up for free.

Here's what you do:
  • Go to Voice.google.com.
  • Select a local telephone number to use within the program.
  • Start texting, calling and more.
With Google Voice you can select a different phone number that will forward messages to your actual phone number. No more worrying about patients having your personal number. Here are some situations in which using Google Voice would be extremely beneficial (see Fig. 1):
  • Grandma brings Johnny to his appointment and he's getting an expander. You need to educate his parents on how to activate the expander.
  • Patient is grabbing a coffee while you make her retainer. You want to let her know it's ready for pick-up.
  • Patient is 60 days delinquent on his payments with your office. You know he is dodging your requests for payment, but you know he is sure to pay his mobile phone bill, as he checks Facebook 75 times per day when he's in your office.
  • Sally, who's 16 and comes to her appointment alone, is starting to get decalcification and you need to have her parent call you ASAP.
  • It's the weekend and a patient calls you complaining that he doesn't understand how to place orthodontic wax.
Fig. 1

With a Gmail account you're a few clicks away from resolving the above scenarios. Let's tackle the expander delivery situation. Go to YouTube and find your favorite video explaining how to activate an expander. Go to Google Voice, copy the link to the video and paste it into the text message box (see Fig. 2).

Fig. 2

The text message would look something like this:

"Johnny got his expander today! We showed his grandmother how to turn the expander (twice a day for two weeks). We thought you'd like to see how it's done. [Link goes here.] Feel free to call us with questions."

The great thing about this approach is there is a record in your Google text that you've reached out, and you can track customized text communications as though they were in your email inbox. You can also craft similar messages for the other scenarios I presented.

Another example of Google Voice's power is its effectiveness in handling orthodontic emergencies. The text would look something like this:

"I'm sorry to hear Joey is experiencing some discomfort as he's getting used to his braces. Here are some resources to help you get through the weekend. If you experience further difficulties, feel free to text me back."

Google Voice has additional power in transcribing voicemail into text messages. In my office, if a patient calls for an emergency after hours he or she is directed to press 5, which calls my Google Voice number. Pressing 5 rings my phone, and my phone identifies the call as a forward from the office. When I receive the call I know it is an emergency, and I have two choices: I can answer the call and directly talk to the patient, or I can send the caller to voicemail.

If I send the call to voicemail I will get a transcription sent to me via text. I can then decide how truly urgent the call is. Like most free automated transcription technologies, the quality of the transcribed message catches about 90 percent of the message (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

Google Voice has definitely helped me better communicate with my patients and at no additional cost to me. I highly recommend implementing this in your office as it'll just require some training on the part of your orthodontic team.

Some of your team may have a hard time getting adjusted to the idea of texting from a computer. I have placed iPod Touches chairside for patients to play games and for my staff to text using the team Gmail account.

I hope that this free "life hack" can help you to more effectively communicate with your patients using a method that you know will work!

Happy texting!



Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
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